Virginia electricity rates & utilities
We track 2 Virginia utilities and the rate cases at the Virginia State Corporation Commission. Virginia has no residential supplier choice — so we focus on tracking rate cases.
How electricity rates work in Virginia
Virginia works differently from the other states we cover. Residential customers generally do NOT have retail choice — you can't shop for a competitive electricity supplier the way you can in Pennsylvania or Ohio.
Instead, your utility provides bundled service at a regulated rate, and the State Corporation Commission (SCC) reviews and approves what the utility can charge. When a utility wants more revenue, it files a rate case at the SCC.
Because there's no third-party supplier to compare against, our bill-audit tool doesn't apply in Virginia. What we do here is track the SCC rate cases so you can see what's proposed and what it means for your bill.
What you can do: There's no supplier to switch in Virginia — your rate is set by the SCC. Watch the rate cases (and sign up for alerts) so a change doesn't surprise you, and file a public comment at the SCC if you want your voice heard.
Who's who on your Virginia electric bill
Four different players decide what you pay. Here's each one, in plain English:
Your utility — the "distributor"
The company that owns the poles and wires and physically delivers power to your home — the name on your bill (in Virginia, one of the utilities listed below, like Appalachian Power (APCo)). This part is a regulated monopoly: only it delivers in your area, and the VA SCC sets what it can charge for delivery. You can't shop the delivery part.
Generation — the "supply"
The electricity itself (also called supply or generation). In Virginia you can't shop this part — your utility provides it at a regulated rate the VA SCC approves.
PJM — the "grid operator"
The independent operator that runs the regional high-voltage grid for Virginia and 12 other states. It's like air-traffic control for electricity — it keeps enough power flowing across the whole region. Its wholesale costs flow through your utility into your bill. (More below.)
The VA SCC — the "regulator"
The Virginia State Corporation Commission is the state agency that reviews and approves utility rate increases. When a utility wants to charge more, it files a "rate case" here — which is exactly what we track.
Putting it together: when you turn on a light in Virginia, the electricity was produced by power plants, routed across the region by PJM, and delivered to your house over Appalachian Power (APCo)'s wires (your distributor). Your bill charges you for both the supply (the electricity) and the delivery (the wires). The VA SCC approves the whole regulated rate.
What is "PJM" and its "capacity market"? (plain English)
PJM is the independent operator that runs the high-voltage power grid for 13 states and Washington, D.C. — including yours. Think of it as air-traffic control for electricity: it doesn't own power plants or your wires, but it makes sure enough electricity is flowing across the whole region every second of the day. The wholesale costs PJM sets get passed through your utility into your bill.
The capacity market is a separate, once-a-year auction PJM runs. Instead of paying for electricity you use, it pays power plants just to promise they'll be ready on the few hottest or coldest days when demand peaks. That promise is called "capacity." It's like paying a backup generator a retainer to stay on standby — you pay even in months you never need it.
Why it matters now: when PJM expects demand to jump, those standby payments spike. Demand is jumping largely because of data centers, and PJM's recent capacity auctions hit record highs three times in a row. Utilities pass that cost straight to customers — which is a big reason bills across all five states we cover are rising. Sources: PJM; PJM Independent Market Monitor (Monitoring Analytics).
Virginia electricity prices over time
The average Virginia residential electricity price went from 12.07¢/kWh in 2019 to 15.28¢/kWh in 2025 — up 27%.
Virginia utilities we cover
- Appalachian Power (APCo)
Regulated Rate
- Dominion Energy Virginia
Regulated Rate
Coverage note: We track Virginia's two largest investor-owned utilities, Dominion Energy Virginia and Appalachian Power. We do not cover Old Dominion Power (Kentucky Utilities Company), which serves a small area of far-southwest Virginia, nor the state's municipal and cooperative utilities.
Rate cases & increases
No active rate cases in our tracker for Virginia right now. We monitor the VA SCC dockets — get an alert when one is filed.